ATTENTION! AUTHOR'S WARNING! PLEASE READ FIRST BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE!
It's not bad, or anything, but before you guys get any further, I just want to strongly suggest that for all those for whom this is the first fic of mine you've ever read, I strongly suggest that you stop,now. It's not that bad, it's just that if you haven't read my other story, More Than My Friend, then you're probably not going to have a clue about why on earth Mac is now living at Foster's, why Frankie is looking after him as his "big sister" or why Wilt is going to be referred to as "Frankie's imaginary friend." Just want to make sure no one gets confused, that's all.
Okay, now since I got that all out of the way, WHOOPEE! My computer is actually allowing me to post this story as a separate fic! Hooray!
On a lesser note…I'm not sure how long this is going to last before my computer screws me over again and I'm forced to turn back to hybridized fics (tacking on new stories onto ones already uploaded onto the site.) Things already aren't looking that great, just three days ago when I was uploading the 90 finished story onto the computer, the devil-machine decided to inconveniently and randomly corrupt the floppy disk, which just happened to be the only thing I had saved the story to. Bleh, I had to rewrite the whole thing from scratch.
Warning people! Please, for the love of God, make back-up copies of all of your stories! Trust me, it just might come in handy one day!
Anyways, here we go, everyone! Another fic, comin' at ya!
Please read and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.
SLAM!
"AARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGH!"
Frances "Frankie" Foster screamed in frustration after she clacked into the foyer in her black high heels, slamming the door angrily behind her. Strapless black dress rustling about her, she wildly paced back and forth throughout the front hall in a futile effort to calm herself down, but to no avail. In a fit of uncontrollable fury, the young woman ripped her purse from her shoulders and hurled it to the ground, letting loose with an uncontrollable stream of curses.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Son-of-a-bitch! That vile, no-good, low-down piece of s-"
Suddenly, her swearing session was interrupted by the squeak of basketball shoes as someone rushed to the scene of her distressed cries.
"What is it? What happened?" Wilt cried frantically as he skidded into the foyer. What…"
As soon as she spotted the look of deep concern on his face, Frankie quickly tried to calm herself down, frightened that she might accidentally verbally lash out in her fury. The anger and rage promptly drained from her face as she took deep, long breaths, only to be replaced by a worn-out, haggard frown.
"Frankie?" Wilt asked softly, cautiously edging his way towards her. "Frankie, are you ok-"
"The score is now officially Frankie zero, Unholy Alliance of Unimaginably Asshole Boyfriends, five." The girl grumbled wearily.
"Oh no." Wilt gasped, slapping his forehead in disbelief. "You mean…"
"I don't think Steve's gonna be coming around here anymore." Frankie whispered softly, vigorously rubbing her temples.
"Oh man…don't tell me it's all because…because you told him…"
Frankie shot him an annoyed glance. "What do you think, Einstein? I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count." She snapped sarcastically.
"Frankie…I'm so sorry…" her lanky imaginary friend whispered sympathetically.
"Oh God…I don't believe it…" Frankie moaned, leaning heavily against the front door as she buried her face in her hands. As she let herself limply sink to the floor into a clumsy sitting position, Wilt was instantly by her side, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Shhhh, it's okay Frankie…it's okay…" he tried to console her, but to little avail. Frankie just whimpered softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"No Wilt, it's not." Frankie groaned unhappily. "You should've seen it, this break-up was the worst one yet, the very worst." She whined.
"But…but…" Wilt stammered incredulously. "But I just don't get it! Steve seemed like such a nice guy! I thought that this time, he would be…he would…well, y'know…"
"I thought he'd be different, too." Frankie sighed painfully. "Oh God, and we were having such a nice time tonight, too. We went to that nice little Italian place uptown…dinner was wonderful…we talked for hours…and hours…" she whispered with a weak smile before trailing off.
For a few minutes the pair just sat there in deafening silence, desperately trying to convey the dismaying turn of events that had occurred that night. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Wilt found the ability to speak again.
"So…when did you tell him?" he asked the melancholy girl gently.
"Right when we got home." Frankie exclaimed with a painful sigh. "It was just after we got out of the car. I thought that maybe since that would put four official dates under the belt, it would help out. It didn't." she concluded flatly.
"Still though, I just don't get it…"
"Well, what's not to get?" Frankie snapped irritably. "It's not like we haven't gone through this before!"
"But…"
"Wilt…no one wants to date a girl who's already taking care of an eight-year-old kid." Frankie whispered dejectedly, right before an irrepressible sob escaped her throat. Immediately she threw her arms around the tall imaginary friend's neck and buried her neck into the soothingly soft fur of his shoulder.
"Frankie, don't cry…" Wilt said in a futile attempt to halt her gentle weeping, as he drew her close to him in a warm hug.
"Every time…every damn time…" the miserable young woman lamented sadly as she soaked his fur with her tears.
"It's okay…it's okay…" the lanky imaginary friend tried to console her.
"Oh God…it's always over the second I tell them about Mac…they always leave…all of them…" she cried unhappily.
"Shhhh, it's alright, Frankie."
"I just wish…" she sniffled. "I just want…"
She was suddenly cut off as another harsh sob rang out through the foyer. Immediately the girl and imaginary friend withdrew their holds on each other, staring into the other's eyes in utter confusion.
"Frankie…how'd you do that?" Wilt asked in disbelief. "That didn't even sound like it even came from you-"
"Wilt…that wasn't me." Frankie whispered softly in reply.
As soon as the joint realization came that they weren't alone, a loud gasp suddenly emitted from the stairway, immediately followed by the patter of small footsteps as someone raced off up the stairs. Wilt quickly fixed his gaze over to the stairwell, but it was no use; their mysterious spectator had long gone.
"What was that? Frankie, what was…uh, Frankie?" he asked worriedly, turning back to the girl in his arm.
Frankie just stared blankly out into nothingness, mouth hanging agape as the color drained from her face, only to leave a sickening white pallor adorning her visage.
"Oh no…he didn't…he did not just hear…"
"Frankie?" Wilt inquired again concernedly. "Frankie, are you…"
Before he could finish however, Frankie suddenly tore herself from his embrace, hurriedly climbing back to her feet and shooting up the stairs, all the while muttering frantically under her breath.
"Oh no, oh no oh no, not him, not that, not here…not now…"
Desperately trying to hold back the tears that pooled up in his eyes, Mac raced headlong down the hallway, breath coming in ragged sobs as he dashed along. A few minutes later, he reached his destination and instantly dived into the relative safety of his room, hurriedly slamming the door behind him. The instant he made sure it was locked, the eight-year-old immediately threw himself onto his bed and buried his head his pillow, a futile attempt to try and muffle his hysterical bawling.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" Mac moaned unhappily as twin rivers of tears flooded down his face. How could he have been so blind? How could he have been so utterly foolish not to notice the blatantly obvious that was right in front of his face?
"All my fault…its all my fault…" he whimpered piteously before becoming completely overwhelmed by a hideous mixture of heart-wrenching grief and bitter guilt. The horrible truth had hit him like a two-ton pile of bricks, it was just too much for the little boy to bear. To actually think that all this time, these past few months, all of Frankie's attempts to try and find a nice young man for herself had all been ruined.
…All because of him. It was he who completely ravaged every effort the young woman made in a heartbreaking effort struggle to find love.
"…No one wants to date a girl who's already got an eight-year-old kid…"
Frankie's words rang out clearly in his mind, stinging him more than any damage that could be inflicted by physical blow or man-made weapon. Never before in his life did Mac feel so guilty, so completely undeserving. All this time, it had been him who bogged down Frankie so mercilessly like stone weights in water. These past few months, it was all because she had to take care of him that her chances of finding a man to love had become so severely handicapped, all because he selfishly dragged her down like some god-awful burden.
Mac winced painfully as the word echoed throughout his mind. But out of all honesty, who was he kidding? There didn't seem to be any signs to point otherwise. Only a little over a year ago, Frankie didn't even know that he and Bloo even existed. Now, suddenly, she found herself landed with some random eight-year-old kid who she wasn't even related to, yet she was still forced to look after anyway like a single parent. It that wasn't a classical example of a horrible life-burden, than Mac had no idea what was.
The boy continued to weep unashamedly as he saturated his pillow with tears, his mind a whirl of confusion and misery. What else had Frankie been keeping from him? It would be foolish to think there wasn't anything else, there simply had to be more. There just had to be more ways in which he was unknowingly impeding the young woman he claimed to love as a big sister like a set of rusty manacles. But what else?
It probably didn't matter. He had heard everything she said downstairs, and that was more than enough than make him feel like his world was crashing around him. Tonight had probably made Frankie as exasperated and upset with her "unique" position as human endurance could possibly allow. Now that she knew that he knew, what was to happen now? Mac's eyes widened in unimaginable horror as he tried to comprehend the worst that could happen. What on earth was Frankie going to do now-
Mac suddenly squealed in surprise at the sudden sound of loud rapping upon his door.
"Mac? Pal?" Frankie rang out cautiously from the other side as she furtively jangled the locked doorknob. "Mac, are you-"
"Go away!" the child sobbed angrily, climbing into an upright sitting position.
"Mac, please." Frankie pleaded wearily. "C'mon, pal! I just want to-"
"No!" Mac snapped angrily.
The girl however refused to be swayed by his frantic refusals. "Mac, if you'd just-"
"Frankie, I told you, just go away!" Mac furiously sobbed.
An exasperated groan sounded out from the other side. "Mac Foster!" she yelled out sternly.
"You open the door this instant, mister, or else!"
"Oh yeah, what're you going to do about it?" the boy scoffed angrily. I'd like to see you try-"
Before he could finish, with an odd jangling noise the doorknob suddenly turned all the way, and almost immediately the door swung wide open, revealing a very annoyed-looking redhead with a large assortment of keys dangling in her hands.
"Nice try, pal." She said dryly, tossing them aside. "Now, if you'll just-"
"No, no, no!" Mac sobbed in terror as he rolled off his mattress and took cover behind it. Frankie groaned irritably as she marched over to the cowering child, clambering on top of his bed onto her hands and knees.
"Mac, c'mon! I just want-"
As soon as she reached out for him however, the eight-year-old just squeaked in fright as he hastily crawled under his bed and out of her grasp.
"HEY!" Frankie yelled as she made another feeble grab before he scrambled completely out of her reach.
"Mac, get out of there right this instant! I'm not kidding around, bucko!" she threatened fiercely.
"You can't make me!" came the furious muffled response.
Frankie gritted her teeth in annoyance, clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles turned a brilliant shade of white. She was losing her patience, fast.
"I swear, if you're not out from under there by the time I count to three…"
"No!"
"One…"
"Please, just leave me alone!"
"Two…"
"No! Don't!"
"Thr-"
"FRANKIE, PLEASE! I'M SORRY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TONIGHT!" Mac suddenly wailed heartbreakingly. Immediately, after hearing this pathetic cry, Frankie's seething rage left her within an instant. A look of utter appall on her face, she drew up onto her knees on the bed and stared down dumbly in the direction of the concealed child below her.
"Sorry?" she asked softly, confused.
However, no reply came to her whispered inquiry. As seconds passed, Frankie instinctively became alarmed by the lack of response and quickly clambered off the bed and onto the floor.
"Mac?" she asked worriedly as she peered into the depths under the bed. "You okay?"
The sound of stifled sniffling suddenly caught her attention. Peering about wildly, it didn't take her long to spot Mac as he lay curled in a little ball of misery, hands wrapped around his head and eyes shut tightly, desperately trying to muffle his weeping.
"Oh no!" she cried, shocked by the pitiful sight. "C'mere, let me-"
As soon as she reached out towards him though, Mac immediately scooted out of her reach, whimpering like a frightened puppy. After making a few more futile tries, Frankie ceased her efforts and withdrew her arm with a groan.
"Mac, please." She pleaded gently. "I'm sorry for being angry earlier. It's just that I really wanted to talk with you, and why you didn't want to open your door I have no-"
Frankie however suddenly cut herself off, as she realized her apology was having no effect. Mac continued to lie curled in his little ball, as unresponsive as ever. Feeling helpless, Frankie toyed with her hoop bracelets as her mind raced furiously. Fortunately though, it didn't take long for it all to click inside her head.
"You're really upset about what I said downstairs, aren't you?" she whispered softly.
At this, Mac finally removed his hands from his face to glance dully in her direction with tearstained eyes. After what felt like an eternity, the child slowly began to nod his head in response.
"Did you hear everything?" Frankie asked him gently. Again, Mac replied with another silent affirmation.
"Do you wanna talk about it? Or are you just gonna stay there and have the dust bunnies listen to your problems?" Frankie tried to joke with a weak smile, struggling to ease the tension of the situation. Mac furrowed his brow as he went deep into contemplation, obviously unsure of what to do next.
"It's okay Mac, it's just your big sister. You can talk to me about it." Frankie reassured him gently, flashing a warm smile. The boy eyed her warily for a few seconds before finally he began to cautiously crawl his way towards her.
"That's it, pal, that's it." Frankie whispered encouragingly. "A little more…a little more…c'mon, almost there…there we go!" she cheered softly in celebration as he emerged from his dusty refuge. Immediately Frankie swept the child into her arms and sat herself on his bed, placing him gently on her lap. The instant she had settled herself, Mac immediately wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder, a fresh wave of tears pouring from his eyes.
"I'm s-sorry, I-I'm sorry…" he bawled unhappily, tiny body trembling uncontrollably in his grief. Stroking his head reassuringly, Frankie cocked her head in confusion at his sobbed apology.
"Mac, I still don't…"
"P-please, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean it…I didn't m-mean it…" he whined piteously.
"Mac…"
"I'm sorry about what happened tonight…and what happened with all the others…I'm so sorry…"
"Pal, I-"
"Don't be mad, Frankie…please, don't be mad at me…" Mac whispered, moments before overwhelming anguish reduced him to a sobbing little brown-haired bundle of absolute misery.
The pair passed the next few minutes in absolute quiet, the boy still unable to utter anything more than his pathetic squeaks of grief while Frankie continued to cradle him gently in her lap, still stroking his head comfortingly. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the girl broke the deafening silence with a somber whisper.
"I'm not angry at you, Mac." She said bluntly in a hushed tone. The weeping boy in her lap shook his head furiously in denial.
"Yes, y-yes you are…you're m-mad at me…Frankie, I'm so…"
"C'mon pal, don't…oh Mac, I'm the one who should be sorry." She announced resolutely. At this Mac squinted up at her through red, puffy eyeballs.
"Huh?" he whimpered, confused.
"Oh, jeez…Mac, I'm so sorry." Frankie frowned unhappily. "I….I probably should've told you earlier, I really should! It was wrong for me to try and keep this from you…please, I never wanted you to find out this way…"
"Yeah, but aren't you still…" the boy sniffled, not quite ready to believe her confusion.
"Mac, listen to me. I'm not mad at you for what happened tonight." Frankie whispered, ruffling his hair reassuringly.
"Yeah, but…but y-you said…" Mac tried in vain to protest, but to little avail. As he stammered uncontrollably, Frankie couldn't help but smile weakly at the perplexed child.
"Oh c'mon, pal…why should I be angry for something that's not your fault?" she chuckled softly.
Taken completely off guard by this, Mac just sat silently perched in her lap for the next few seconds, staring dumbly at the girl in utter befuddlement.
"But…b-but Steve a-a-and all the others…th-they all broke up with you…all b-because of…because of…"
He hung his head in shame. "Because of me." He whispered dejectedly.
Much to his surprise, Frankie just threw back her head and laughed. "And that's your fault because…" she giggled weakly with a hint of a curious grin.
"Well, you know…" the boy whimpered.
"Oh, what? Because I made myself your big sister?" the young woman joked.
"Wait…no…" Mac protested lamely.
"Or is it because I took it upon myself to look after you when your mom was too busy? Or when Terrence was being mean to you? Is that it?"
"No…it's because…uh, because..."
"No, no, I got it!" she joked, snapping her fingers. "It's all your fault because I was the one whodecided to adopt you and took you to live here at Foster's, isn't it? Is that it, Mac?"
Mac just scratched his head, the befuddled eight-year-old drawing a complete blank on how to respond. Frankie smiled warmly as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Mac, I think it's safe to say that it's not your fault that what happened tonight happened." She laughed. "Nor was it your fault with my last boyfriend, or with all the others, either.
"You were so upset tonight though…" Mac managed to whisper in reply.
"Well, yeah I was." The girl admitted truthfully with a shrug of her shoulders. "But still, who said I was upset because of you?"
"Um…"
"Mac, the only reason I was upset was because I just had to break up with one more jerk who didn't have the guts to take the truth." Frankie explained. "If I'm frustrated, it's only because I haven't found the one guy who can take the simple fact that you're my little brother, I'm your big sister, and I'm the one who looks after you. That's all."
"Still though…"
"You know what I have to say to Steve, and all those other guys?" Frankie asked with a smirk. Mac nodded warily.
"Uh, I guess…"
"Screw 'em." The girl put rather bluntly with a laugh, much to the boy's shock.
"What?"
"Yup, you head me. In fact, screw 'em all. If they don't like that I have you, then pal, I don't wanna deal with them at all. They either gotta accept you, or else I want them to get outta my sight."
"Y-you really think that?" Mac sniffled incredulously.
"Mac, do you really think I'm gonna abandon you or something, just so I can get a date?" she asked frankly. The boy tried to avert his glance away from her, feeling a little embarrassed.
"I…I don't…"
Frankie hugged the child closer to her. "Mac, no one said this whole thing was gonna be easy. Things are gonna get tough, and we just gotta stick together to face the bad along with the good. Just remember this, though." she smiled. "You're not a burden on me, or anyone else here. It's just as I said before, you're my little brother, and I'm your big sister and that's all you need to know, pal."
"But…"
Before Mac could protest, Frankie leaned in to plant an affectionate kiss on his forehead.
"If that's good enough for me, then it's gotta be good enough for you." She added softly.
"I…I…" the eight-year-old struggled in vain to respond.
"I love you, Mac." Frankie whispered into his ear with a grin. "That's all there is to it."
Mac just stared blankly at her for a few seconds, more desperate than even to utter a comprehensible response.
"Fra-"
He couldn't even say so much as her name before he was cut off by a harsh sob that ripped from his throat. Immediately Mac wrapped his arms around her neck he buried his head into the girl's shoulder, fresh tears gushing down the sides of his face. Frankie quickly responded by tightening her affectionate hold on him, whispering softly to calm the frazzled child.
"Shhhhh, its okay pal. It's okay. Shhhhh, it's alright."
"I'm s-sorry…" Mac whimpered pathetically between sobs.
"Shhhh, no need to, pal, no need. You just got a little confused tonight, Mac. That's all." Frankie warmly reassured him. Mac tried desperately tried to respond, but all he could utter was an incomprehensible whine.
"Don't you worry pal, it's alright." She laughed. "Everything's gonna be okay. I'm not gonna leave you or anything because my stupid date said so."
Mac removed his head momentarily from her shoulder to glance at her dully through puffy, tearstained eyes before managing to smile weakly. Frankie grinned warmly in response.
"That's right, Mac, that's right. Its okay, I'm not going to let anything bad like that happen to you."
"Frankie…I-"
"Besides," she suddenly added with the faint hint of a playful grin. "If I didn't have you, how much fun would tickle fights be all by myself?
"What?" Mac asked as he looked up again, confused by her queer statement.
"You heard me." The girl chuckled devilishly. As soon Mac saw the fiendish grin on her face, his eyes instantly bulged to the size of dinner plates in horror.
"Aaaaa! Wait, wait, no no no no-"
"Say goodbye to those tears, bucko." The girl just laughed, posing herself to spring into action.
"No, wait, don't-hahahahahaha!" Mac squealed in laughter as the crafty redhead swept him from her lap and pinned the boy to his bed, playfully assaulting him with everything she had.
"Acktph! Teeheehee! Stoppit, Frankie, stoppit! Whohahahahaha! Cutitout! Cutitout!" he laughed as he desperately tried to squirm from her tickly grip, all his previous woes forgotten in an instant.
"Gootchie gootchie goo!" Frankie giggled.
"Hahahaha! Quit it! Quit it! C'mon Frankie, just-"
"What's that?" the redhead replied, cocking her ear in his direction. "What'd you say? "More, please?" Weird, but if you say so!" she laughed as she intensified her efforts on the thrashing little boy.
"Noooo! Heeheehee! Stoppit! No more tickling! Go back to the mushy stuff, or whatever! J-just something! Ha ha ha!" Mac pleaded desperately between his laughter.
"Oooooh, that can easily be arranged! C'mere, you!" Frankie giggled as she swept him up into the air, assaulting his cheeks with a barrage of sloppy kisses.
"Ewwww! Grossgrossgross! I take it back! I take it back!" Mac protested as the girl dotted his face with splotches of scarlet lipstick. "Stoppit, Frankie! Stoppit!"
"Awww, why?" Frankie replied with a mischievous smirk. "But I just can't help it! I just wove my widdle brudder so vewy much! Frankiee-Wankie just woves her widdle Macky-Poo! Yes she does, yes she does!" she cooed in a sickeningly cutesy fashion as she nuzzled him affectionately. Mac stuck out his tongue in pure disgust.
"Yuck!" he grimaced. "Ew! No baby talk, you know I hate that! It's so gross!"
"What's wrong with your big sister talking about how much she woves her widdle brudder? I just wove you so much! Yes I do, I so wove my baby brudder so vewey much!" Frankie continued to coo with a fiendish grin, planting an extra-sloppy peck on his forehead.
"Ewwwwwwwww!" Mac whined piteously in repugnance to the girl's overly loving actions. "Stoppit, knock it off Frankie! Please!"
"What? Now you don't like this? Well, make up your mind that about what you want!" Frankie giggled before she plopped him back onto his mattress and immediately began to tickle his ribs furiously.
"Ack! Teeheeheehee! Not again!" Mac cried in despair as she re-entrapped him in her overpowering tickly hold. "Hahaha! No more, no more! Uncle! Uncle!"
"Not uncle, big sister!" Frankie jokingly corrected him. "And if you think I'm through with you…"
"Hahahaha! P-please! No more! No more! I-I think I'm gonna be sick!" Mac squealed as he thrashed about in her grip.
"EEEK!" Frankie shrieked in horror, well aware of whose joke it was to clean up such accidents. "Oh jeez, why didn't you say so? Here-"
However, as soon as she withdrew from her assault, Mac immediately leapt to his feet and speedily clambered up onto her back with a squeak of victory.
"Aha, I got you now!" he cried triumphantly as he gripped her shoulders tightly. "You fall for that one every time!"
"Eek! No fair, you little sneak!" Frankie laughed as she tried to reach back and pull him off of her. "C'mere you little…"
"Wheeeeee! It's like a rodeo!" Mac whooped jokingly as his big sister got up and spun about comically in her effort to free herself of her tiny assailant. "Only thing is, I bet the bulls there probably smell better than you!" he added with a devilish grin.
"Hey!" Frankie cried indignantly. "This is my favorite perfume! Low blow, that was such a low blow! Oooooooh, its so on now, little man!"
With a triumphant cry she finally managed to peel Mac off her shoulders and without thinking twice eagerly began to grapple playfully with the little boy, not caring that she was still clad in her "fancy" attire. With a mock roar she tackled Mac onto the floor and the two immediately became deeply locked in fierce playful combat.
"Take this! And that! And a little of that!"
"Ha ha, when you're done trying to tickle me, then maybe you can start fighting your big sister like a man!"
"Hey, cut it out! That's it, now you're going down!"
"What's that matter, buddy? Afraid you're gonna to get your butt kicked by a girl-OW!"
"Hee hee! You were saying?"
"No fair, no fair! No pulling on the ponytail, the hair is totally off limits!"
"What's off limits? This?"
"OUCH! Oooooh, you're so asking for a one-way trip down the laundry chute, buster!"
"You gotta catch me first!" Ha ha-AAA! Put me down! Put me down! Sorrysorrysorrysorry…"
"You're so going down now-OW! Hey, what did I just say?"
"I think you just said "ow," if I remember right! Ha ha-WHOA! Leggo! Leggo of my leg!"
"That's it! No more Miss Nice Guy! Let's see how you like it…"
After playfully wrestling with each other for a good fifteen minutes, the pair had collapsed back onto Mac's bed, panting in exhaustion from their mischievous roughhousing. As he tried to catch his breath, Mac wearily rested his head comfortably against Frankie's stomach, while the young woman carelessly stared up at the ceiling as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through his chestnut-brown hair.
"Um, Frankie?" Mac asked cautiously, shooting a wary glance in her direction.
"What's on your mind, pal?" Frankie replied lazily, not caring to move her gaze.
"Uh…I dunno if I should be asking this or not, but…um…what exactly did happen after you told Steve tonight about…you know…" Mac fidgeted anxiously.
Frankie shut her eyes and sighed wearily. "I'll say this much, it wasn't pretty. While all the other guys just got kinda spooked when they found out about you, Steve, he just…well, he freaked out basically. After asking me if I was joking for a good five minutes, the guy just went totally nuts on me! He yelled at me for not telling him earlier, screamed at me about what the heck my deal was, shrieked why I was such a liar, a cheat, that and every name in the book. Just an uncontrollable splurge of mean, nasty stuff, things I'm probably not allowed to even repeat to you."
"I'm sorry…"
"Nah, it didn't do me any good when I kept all of this from you, it's probably for the best if I tell the truth. But I gotta admit, it doesn't get any better." Frankie moaned with a painful wince. "Just when I thought I heard the worst of it, he suddenly began going off about you. Who the heck you were, why I was wasting my time with you, and that's really all I can say before I need to get a professional censor if I wanna list half the stuff he yelled at me about you in the driveway."
Mac groaned ruefully upon hearing this. "I can't believe he got away with that…"
Frankie suddenly cut in with a sly chuckle. "Now who said that he actually got away with it?"
As soon as he heard this cryptic statement, Mac immediately shot up into a sitting position to give her a quizzical glance.
"Huh?"
The redheaded girl grinned fiendishly. "I'll be honest, ever since that "incident" with Dylan, I've never gone out with another guy without a back-up plan…just in case he turns out to be a total jerk, you know. And boy, if I ever needed one…"
"Wait, so you…"
"Oh, I'm not the one who got her hands dirty tonight." Frankie laughed with a crafty wink. "I have some "connections" who take care of that for me…"
"Connections? Who are you talking about-oh no!" Mac cried in horror as the answer came to him within an instant. The boy looked at the young woman with a look of utter disbelief.
"Frankie…don't tell me that you…you didn't really…"
Frankie shrugged. "Hey, no one says that kind of stuff about my little brother and gets away with it."
"Oooooooh…." Bloo gasped in awe as he sat on the TV room floor, staring intently at the car muffler that he cradled gently in his little arms. "So shiny…"
Mac just shook his head as he watched nearby from his seat on the couch. "I don't believe it, I just don't believe it."
"Huh?" Bloo asked innocently as he glanced away from his newfound treasure. "What'd you say?"
"I don't…I just can't believe that…she…and you…you actually…argh!" Mac groaned in exasperation, slumping wearily in his seat.
"What?" Bloo asked again, cocking his head. "What's not to get? Frankie had me wait in the bushes in case something really bad happened to her tonight, she and Steve came back, they got out and started yelling at each other, so while they were doing that, I took a couple of pieces from his car! What's not to get?" he inquired, acting like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Mac just stared at his imaginary friend blankly for a few seconds. "Okay, think about what you just said for a minute or two, and then you tell me."
"Aw, c'mon, Mac!" Bloo protested. "It was all Frankie's idea! Besides it's not like I did anything wrong-"
"Bloo, you stole Steve's muffler right off his car!" Mac argued.
"Hey! Not stole…borrowed." Bloo corrected him in a matter-of-fact tone.
"You borrowed his muffler?" Mac replied incredulously.
"And his font license plate, and a headlight, the spare tire, plus a dozen other things I couldn't even name." Wilt added as he entered the room, carrying a large bowl of popcorn. "I guess you didn't see the pile near the front door yet." He stated calmly as he sat down, as if there was nothing wrong with the words that just came out of his mouth.
Mac's jaw dropped as his eyes bulged in disbelief. "He…he took…"
"Oh yeah, and three out of four hubcaps." The lanky imaginary friend corrected himself as he passed the bowl to Mac. "You want some popcorn?"
"You guys!" Mac yelled frantically. "Do you have any idea of what just happened? For the love of God! When Steve finds out part of his car is missing-"
"-Then if he knows what's good for him, he won't come back here for a long time." Frankie finished his sentence for him as she plodded into the room, clad in simple black T-shirt and gray sweatpants.
"Good job tonight, Bloo." She complimented the little ghost-shaped imaginary friend as she casually dropped a bag of candy in his lap as she passed by.
"Heehee! All right!" Bloo cheered as he greedily hugged his well-earned reward close to himself. Meanwhile, Frankie calmly plopped herself between her imaginary friend and little brother, a smug grin adorning her face.
"Well, I think it's safe to say everything worked out in the end." She chuckled with a fiendish smile.
"WHAT?" Mac cried skeptically. "Frankie, you ordered Bloo to totally trash your ex-boyfriend's car! He's-"
"-Not gonna want to cross my path again any time soon." Frankie again finished his sentence for him. Mac cocked his head, confused.
"Okay, hold on a sec…"
"Mac, let's just say he learned a valuable lesson about ticking me off. Or to be more specific, one that he's probably gonna remember every time her sits down for the next week." She laughed as she dug into her sweatpants pocket.
"Frankie I still don't…get…what the…"
Mac trailed off as he stared in disbelief at the torn piece of white fabric and elastic Frankie clutched in her hands, holding it up high for all those present to see.
"Ewwwww." Was all the boy could mange to say, sticking out his tongue in repugnance.
"Ouch." Bloo flinched, rubbing his rear. "That had to hurt."
"Frankie, don't tell me that you actually…" a stunned Wilt tried to stammer out.
The redhead blushed a bit as she fidgeted with the shred of underwear in her hands nervously.
"Well…he was saying some really nasty stuff about Mac…so I got a little angry…"
"Excuse me? A little angry?" Wilt asked with a hint of distrust in his voice.
"Yuck, do you really have to carry that thing around?" Mac whined in disgust.
"Hey, c'mon!" Frankie protested. "It's not like I was looking forward to taking home a chunk of his undergarment! It just ripped after I got it over his head and-"
Immediately all three listening winced painfully as the awful image of her dealing out such savage retribution entered their minds. Noticing their discomfort, Frankie quickly silenced herself as her blush deepened.
"Um…sorry?" she whispered bashfully.
"Remind me not to wear underwear around you when you get angry." Bloo said warily.
"Uh, movie anyone?" Wilt blurted out as he grabbed for the remote, eager to steer the conversation in a different direction. Frankie sighed in relief as the attention was turned away from her.
"Yeah, a flick would sound pretty nice right now, right Mac?"
"Uh, yeah…sure." Mac replied warily as he tried to scoot away from the redheaded young woman.
"Oh no you don't!" Frankie laughed, wrapping an arm around him and dragging him back to her side. "Wilt, what's playing tonight?"
The lanky imaginary friend held up the TV guide with a grin. "A real goodie. The Bloodsucking Mutant Vampire Zombies, Part IV."
"Yes, totally low-budget and cheesy and super-gory! Count me in!" Bloo whooped, eagerly clambering up on the couch with all the others. "Hey Wilt, could you pass the pop-"
"Miss Frances? Miss Frances!" a prim, heavily British accented voice suddenly called out, interrupting the movie viewers. Moments later, a large, finely attired rabbit entered the room with a dignified hop.
"Ah, there you are, Miss Frances!" Mr. Herriman nodded curtly at the young woman. Frankie groaned as she reached for a handful of popcorn.
"What is it now, Mr. H?" she sighed in exasperation.
"I'm quite sorry about the intrusion on your cinematic get-together, but before you do any such movie-viewing, there is an urgent matter in which you simply must inform me with to the best extent of your knowledge."
"And that is…" Frankie grumbled.
"Why on earth is there a clutter of assorted automobile parts lying on the floor of the foyer?" the rabbit asked quite bluntly. At this inquiry, Frankie's eyes suddenly widened as she immediately began to stutter nervously, desperately trying to find a somewhat believable excuse.
"Ummmm, well you see, uh…I was…er…y'know, we…uh, that is to say that…that…uh…" she babbled, the normally resourceful girl drawing a complete blank.
"Er…they're, uhhhhh…spare parts for…the Foster's bus?" Mac suggested lamely. "Uh, we bought them today because…um…you can never be too, er…careful?" he finished apprehensively.
Mr. Herriman glared at the pair for a few moments before he began to nod vigorously in response, as a large smile plastered itself across his aged features.
"Oh, excellent! Simply wonderful! Preparedness, that's exactly what I like to see in my staff! Excellent job, excellent job!" he beamed. "Miss Frances, was this fantastic example of foresight all on the part of Master Mac?"
"Um…" Frankie continued to stammer as she anxiously toyed with her ponytail. "Well, Mac did have a pretty big role in it, I guess…"
"Fantastic! Simply fantastic! Well-done, Master Mac!" Mr. Herriman continued to gush ecstatically in admiration of the eight-year-old. "Miss Frances, you should consider yourself lucky for having such a fine specimen of reason around the house."
"Yeah." Frankie grinned, reaching beside her to draw the child close to her in a warm embrace. Mac blushed as she wrapped her arms about him, returning her hug as his big sister nuzzled him affectionately.
"I am lucky." She whispered happily. "I really am."
The End
Well, what'd you guys think? Be honest, I'm not gonna bite if you tell me you didn't like it too much. No flames though, please!
I gotta admit, maybe it was all too random to throw in the part about Bloo taking apart Frankie's ex-boyfriend's car. I couldn't help myself, though. I just saw "Crime After Crime", and the idea of Bloo being so adept at trashing motor vehicles just stuck with me while I was rewriting this story this morning.
Also, maybe I overloaded it with too much fluff between Mac and Frankie, but I don't think I can help that either, they're just an adorable pair! (Coming out of the mouth of the senior at the all-boy's high school no assumptions please, I'm there almost entirely on merit scholarship, plus it's actually a lot better than people think it would be, but I digress…anyway, God, help me). Oh yeah, if I could also get some divine intervention to help my with chemistry…that'd be nice too…
Blech, I kinda just went off there, didn't I? Oh geez, I'm gonna wrap this up now before I get set off on another random tangent. Okay, thanks for reading, everyone! Please review!
-Dude13